#AllIsWell(Hindi) Rating: * * After winning critical plaudits and audience respect for his #OMG – a film that dared to question and try and provide answers for age-old belief systems governed by religion, #UmeshShukla tries his hand at family dramedy. But the result is not as well as was expected. This film takes it’s titular cue from ‘#3Idiots’ but that’s all it gets catchy about. The rest is bedlam.Tedious, unappealing dead bore. That’s about it! Even Supriya Pathak Kapoor and Rishi kapoor fail to dent that! #RaindropMedia #AbhishekBachchan #Asin #SupriyaPathakKapoor #RishiKapoor #AFP #TSeries #GulshanKumar #BhushanKumar #ShyamBajaj #UmeshShukla ##AlchemyFilmProduction #KrishanKumar #VarunBajaj #RelianceEntertainment Runtime: 125 mins

#ManjiTheMountainMan(Hindi) Rating: * * * ½ A noteworthy marriage of commerce and art in terms of technique, content and style, this Ketan Mehta helmed bio-pic takes the quasi fantasy-reality route to the telling of a poignant and deeply affecting tale of a devoted man’s singular unparalleled endeavor to tame a massive mountain that has wreaked havoc in his life. Dashrath Manji’s epoch making and ‘Path-breaking’effort has become part of folklore and the oral history of his painstaking effort bears well in the cinematic retelling, gaining immense power and significant heft from a craftily fleshed out script , a wonderfully orchestrated, elevating background score from #SandeshShandilya, stirring dialogues by #MohinderPratapSingh &amp; #ShahzadAhmed and some bravura performances- notably of course from the inimical #NawazuddinSiddiqui, the riveting #RadhikaApte , the searingly intense #PrashantNarayanan (despite a hacked role), some wonderful sidebar performances from the rest of the ensemble cast and a distinctive note-perfect cameo by #DeepaSahi. And last but not the least- #KetanMehta has finally got back his groove. His vividly artistic, narrative flamboyance takes this story to unforgettable and immensely memorable heights! #KetanMehta #MayaMovies #DeepaSahi #NawazuddinSiddiqui #RadhikaApte #Viacom18 #NFDC #NinaLathGupta #PankajTripathi #PrashantNarayanan #EverymediaTechnologies #TigmanshuDhulia #RaindropMedia Runtime: 120 mins

#Saangati(Marathi) Rating: * ½ Pious but Unworthy. From atheists to believers, this film sets out to ensure that a family of four ( of which 3 are strong non-believers) end up believing in the power of God. The approach is tedious and unbecoming, the script lacks deeper insight, the characterizations are flaky and the so-called story doesn’t have the requisite development to deliver the eventual outcome with due conviction . #DeepakJadhav #mediaUnlimitedPR #PrashantSinghHambir #AnandaProductions #RamvijayWamanParab #Satishpulekar #SmitaOak #JyotiJoshi #GauravGhatanekar #PriyaGamare #SantoshGawade #RajeshRameshNaik #NavinMore #pramodPathak #SadanandShrikrishnaTembulkar Runtime:160 mins

#FantasticFour(English) Rating: * * The third major big screen attempt to tell the story of Reed Richards, Sue and Johnny Storm, Ben Grimm aka The Thing and Dr. Doom, the core characters in one of Marvel Comics' most durable properties, is short but definitely not SWEET. It’s a misfire of gigant6ic proportions and leaves you quite distended towards the end. Nothing distinctive to watch here…not even action! #ShrutiSundaram #DisneyUTV #SidharthRoyKapur #MilesTeller #KateMara #JamieBell #MichaelBJordan #TobyKebbell #RegECathey #TimBlakeNelson #ChetHanks #MaryRachelDudley #MaryPatGreen

#Algorithms(B&amp;W Documentary) Rating: * * ½ Algorithms is on the thriving but little known world of Blind Chess in India. Filmed over three years, it follows three talented boys from different parts of India and a totally blind player turned pioneer whose vaunted ambition is to see India on a global stage as well as have all blind children play chess. Algorithms travels with the chess players to competitive tournaments and visits them in their home milieu where they reveal their struggles, anxieties and hopes. Nominated in the newcomer category at the Grierson Awards earlier , Ian McDonald's debut feature documentary continues his explorations of the cultures of sporting outsiders, as previously manifested in his short films. It’s quite an experience even if not an entirely satisfying one. #PVRDirectorsRare #MoesArt #IanMcDonald #GeethaJRuntime: 100 mins

#BestFilmsReleasedthisWeek21stAug2015 #JohnsonThomas

#BestFilmsReleasedthisWeek21stAug2015 #JohnsonThomas

#ManjiTheMountainMan(Hindi) Rating: * * * ½ A noteworthy marriage of commerce and art in terms of technique, content and style, this Ketan Mehta helmed bio-pic takes the quasi fantasy-reality route to the telling of a poignant and deeply affecting tale of a devoted man’s singular unparalleled endeavor to tame a massive mountain that has wreaked havoc in his life. Dashrath Manji’s epoch making and ‘Path-breaking’effort has become part of folklore and the oral history of his painstaking effort bears well in the cinematic retelling, gaining immense power and significant heft from a craftily fleshed out script , a wonderfully orchestrated, elevating background score from #SandeshShandilya, stirring dialogues by #MohinderPratapSingh &amp; #ShahzadAhmed and some bravura performances- notably of course from the inimical #NawazuddinSiddiqui, the riveting #RadhikaApte , the searingly intense #PrashantNarayanan (despite a hacked role), some wonderful sidebar performances from the rest of the ensemble cast and a distinctive note-perfect cameo by #DeepaSahi. And last but not the least- #KetanMehta has finally got back his groove. His vividly artistic, narrative flamboyance takes this story to unforgettable and immensely memorable heights! #KetanMehta #MayaMovies #DeepaSahi #NawazuddinSiddiqui #RadhikaApte #Viacom18 #NFDC #NinaLathGupta #PankajTripathi #PrashantNarayanan #EverymediaTechnologies #TigmanshuDhulia #RaindropMedia Runtime: 120 mins

A young married couple's lives are thrown into a harrowing tailspin when an acquaintance from the husband's past brings mysterious gifts and a horrifying secret to light after more than 20 years.

Review

Over the years Jason Bateman has played some interesting characters- almost all of them likeable. But in ‘The Gift’ he is made out to be a bully, Simon Callem, who will stop at nothing to get his way. So just when you think he is a good guy, the tables begin to turn and Bateman’s true colors are quite visible thereafter –so ultimately your enjoyment of this movie will depend on whether you are willing to let go off his past acts and concentrate on this one – a near villainous one at that. He of course does a good job as one half of an upwardly mobile couple who shift base for a new start and find themselves intriguingly set-up in a conflagration not entirely of their own making.

Simon and Robyn(Rebecca Hall) after moving to California for a new start, find themselves stalked by one of his old school mate Gordo(Joel Edgerton) who appears to have some kind of a social phobia and wants to revisit an age-old friendship that changed his life forever. The sympathy factor initially weighs in with the couple but towards the end it’s another thing altogether Gordo’s unwelcome friendly advances and gifts take on a whole new meaning in the final revelation.

Edgerton manages to create enough tense moments to keep you interested and engaged and with that final trick he gets you so involved that you are literally holding your breath to guess the whodunit. It’s no murder mystery but the mystery lies in the procreation of it. The burgeoning of dread, the strain and suspense of not knowing what happened is what keeps you on your toes. The characters question their own gullibility and the point-of-views keep shifting. This is solid development and lends meat to the whole experience. The camerawork is also quite shadowy, atmospheric and palpably eerie. The Giftreveals its final twists somewhat like a trickster who leads you on the wrong path but it works. Edgerton deserves praise for strong psychological construction and minimal effects which go a long way in making the experience credible and unnerving. This is a really decent effort from Joel Edgerton and certainly , he has shown he knows how to pull the strings of emotion in an audience!